Special to the Record
The Chelsea Black Community (CBC) in collaboration with Clark Ave. Productions held Verb Flow N Vision: Spoken Word Open Mic and Art event Feb. 15 at Kushala Sip and Tapas Bar.
The event was held in coordination with Chelsea’s celebration of Black History Month.
Tru Kwene and D. Ruff were the featured poets while Towana Wright was the featured artist. Boston schoolteacher Brynna Boyd was the emcee and also delivered a poem. Local performers included outstanding poet Jay Velez, who took the stage and presented “Get A Grip” and a special poem about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader and orator.
Professional runway and print model and CBC Let It Fly Classic co-director Kyle Umemba, son of CBC President Joan Cromwell, also made a special appearance.
City Manager Fidel Maltez brought the official greetings of the community.
Devra Sari Zabot of Clark Avenue Productions welcomed the large gathering to the event.
“It’s been a pleasure collaborating with the Chelsea Black Commuity,” said Zabot.
CBC President Joan Cromwell delivered upbeat remarks before handing over the leadership of the speaking program to host Brynna Boyd.
“I’m just here to say welcome and thank you, Devra, Kushala, Chelsea, visitors – thank you everybody for being here and coming out to be a part of this amazing event. We are so honored to collaborate with Devra and Kushala to make this event happen. It’s Black History Month, right? So I just want to say, sit back, enjoy the show, and have fun.”
Cromwell lauded City Manager Fidel Maltez for his support of Chelsea Black History Month. The month of events has been another tremendous success, with the Chelsea Trailblazers Community Celebration scheduled for tonight (Thursday) at the Williams School.